The invention pertains to optical connectors and particularly to optical connectors making use of flexible waveguides. More particularly, this invention pertains to the use of self-aligned, flexible optical waveguides for coupling light between an optoelectronic device and an optical fiber or waveguide or arrays of devices and fibers or waveguides.
A common problem is to simultaneously provide electrical connection to an optoelectronic device as well as optical coupling from the device to an optical fiber in a connectorized package. Previous methods of such coupling have included placing the device in a first level package such as TO header into an optical connector receptacle, rather than directly on the circuit board and to provide electrical connection from the circuit board to the TO header by means of an electrical flex circuit. This approach involves costly and time consuming methods of manufacturing.
This invention has three parts: 1) the flexible optical medium guiding the light from an optical device to a connector receptacle; 2) the approach for coupling the light from the device to the flexible optical medium; and 3) the approach for coupling light from the flexible medium to the fiber or waveguide within the connector receptacle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,184 ('184 patent) by inventor Charles T. Sullivan and issued Dec. 20, 1994, which is hereby incorporated by reference in this specification and discloses 1) self-aligning mechanical approach for lateral waveguide to lateral waveguide alignment and 2) the use of visual alignment marks for lateral waveguide to lateral waveguide alignment or the alignment of a vertical port to a waveguide with a 45 degree facet. The visual alignment marks of the '184 patent for use with a vertically coupled optical port still require manual alignment which is not self-aligning. Also that patent does not deal with 3), i.e., the approach for coupling between a flexible optical waveguide and an optical fiber waveguide within the connector receptacle.